Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Florida Key Largo USS Spiegel Grove Shipwreck

USS Spiegel Grove Shipwreck

After a long career, a disastrous sinking, and a half-successful salvage, this Naval vessel-turned-artificial reef ended up exactly where she was supposed to—with a little help from nature.

Key Largo, Florida

Added By
Will
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Spiegel Grove in 2010   Todd Murray / CC BY-SA 2.0
Spiegel Grove in 2010   Todd Murray / CC BY-SA 2.0
The bow of the Spiegel Grove, now upright   Aquaimages / CC BY-SA 2.5
The bridge of the Spiegel Grove   Aquaimages / CC BY-SA 2.5
The landing craft (Jeff_B) entering the dock of Spiegel Grove   U.S. Navy
The Spiegel Grove during operations around 1970   U.S. Navy
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Florida Keys region is known for snorkeling and scuba diving, but until recent times, most of the diving was on natural reefs. The amount of divers swimming on the reefs started to cause damage to the ecosystem. In the 1990s and early 2000s, a major project was started to create several artificial reefs around the Florida Keys in order to draw divers away from the natural reefs and onto the artificial ones. The goal was to boost dive tourism to the area and allow the natural reefs to heal and repair themselves. This is where we are introduced to the USS Spiegel Grove. 

The Spiegel Grove is an amphibious warfare ship that was originally laid down in September 1954, launched in November 1955, and commissioned in June 1956. The ship featured a wet dock for launching amphibious vehicles. She was initially assigned to the Mediterranean but spent most of her career in training exercises in the Caribbean and off the Eastern Seaboard. The Spiegel Grove was also used in special international missions, including operations that supported the U.S. space program (specifically, Mercury-Atlas 7). 

The Spiegel Grove was decommissioned on October 2, 1989. She was assigned to the Navy's "mothball" fleet of unused ships and sat for years, awaiting action.

In 1998, Florida acquired the Spiegel Grove's title and started making plans to turn the decommissioned warship into an artificial reef. In 2001, the ship sailed from Virginia to Key Largo for cleaning and preparations. Holes were cut above the waterline and the vessel was ready to be scuttled. But when she was towed out to sea, things suddenly took a turn for the worse. 

When they reached the designated sinking site, crew started to prepare the Spiegel Grove for her final trip to the ocean floor, including flooding her ballast tanks to let her sink properly. But the vessel took on too much water to quickly, and started to sink with the preparation crew still onboard. 

Realizing the sinking Spiegel Grove was beyond the point of no return, the crew quickly abandoned ship. Everyone safely evacuated with no injuries, but the Spiegel Grove was sinking ahead of schedule.

When ships are scuttled as artificial reefs, the process is meant to be quick, safe, and in the correct position. The Spiegel Grove was not doing any of this. She was meant to go down on an even keel, but as she went down, the stern started to sink quicker than the bow. As she sank further and further, she started to roll over. Eventually the stern of the Spiegel Grove hit the bottom and as it did so, the rest of the ship completely capsized.  The Spiegel Grove's stern sat on the bottom, while her bow protruded out of the sea.

A salvage operation was started, not to raise the ship but merely to get her upright on the ocean floor. Divers traversed the ship's dangerous inverted corridors to pump air into some sections of the ship while pumping water into others. Lift bags were attached to the ship and some broke free during the difficult operation. 

Several weeks after the Spiegel Grove's premature sinking, the salvage crew was able to roll the ship onto her starboard side. With the salvage operation over and nothing more to be achieved, the wreck was opened to divers. The publicity of the chaotic sinking had worked in the ship's favor though, as over 100,000 divers visited the wreck in the first two years. 

There is one final twist in the story though. In 2005, Hurricane Dennis swept through the Florida Keys, when the wreck was inspected following the hurricane, the wreck was found to be fully intact... and upright. The hurricane-level ocean currents had proved so powerful that the Spiegel Grove was pushed by the currents onto her keel, perfectly upright and in the exact spot where she was intended to be scuttled. 

The first diver down on the wreck after she rolled upright told a local reporter: "I had to ask myself: Am I narcked?" (Referring to nitrogen narcosis that can cause hallucinations in extreme circumstances) 

After a long and noteworthy career, an almost disastrous sinking, and a half-successful salvage, the Spiegel Grove finally ended up exactly the way she was planned to be with a little help from nature. Since 2005, despite being battered annually by hurricanes, the wreck has remained exactly in place.

Related Tags

Underwater Diving Military Ships Shipwrecks

Know Before You Go

The ocean floor lies about 45 metres (130ft) and the top of the ship at about 17 metres (50ft).

There have been numerous deaths on the Spiegel Grove, remember to follow your training, stick to your limits and do not penetrate the wreck unless trained to do so.

Community Contributors

Added By

willfaulkner

Edited By

Michelle Cassidy

  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

December 12, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
USS Spiegel Grove Shipwreck
Key Largo, Florida, 33037
United States
25.066688, -80.300187

Nearby Places

Christ of the Abyss

Key Largo, Florida

miles away

Underwater Hotel in Key Largo

Key Largo, Florida

miles away

The African Queen

Key Largo, Florida

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Key Largo

Key Largo

Florida

Places 4
Stories 3

Nearby Places

Christ of the Abyss

Key Largo, Florida

miles away

Underwater Hotel in Key Largo

Key Largo, Florida

miles away

The African Queen

Key Largo, Florida

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Key Largo

Key Largo

Florida

Places 4
Stories 3

Related Places

  • USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg

    Key West, Florida

    USNS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg

    Six miles off the coast of Key West, a former military transport ship is now one of the largest artificial reefs in the world.

  • A diver at the SS President Coolidge

    Luganville, Vanuatu

    SS President Coolidge

    This cruise ship-turned-warship sank during World War II, and is now a world-renowned dive site.

  • Oriskany two years after sinking.

    Pensacola, Florida

    USS Oriskany

    The 44,000-ton aircraft carrier was purposely sunk to create an artificial reef teeming with life.

  • The propeller hub in El Medano

    El Médano, Spain

    SS American Star Propeller Hub

    This propeller hub is one of the last remnants of a ship that crashed off the coast of the Canary Islands.

  • Kastellholmen wreck in 2013

    Stockholm, Sweden

    Shipwreck of Kastellholmen

    At low tide, you can see the remains of a 17th-century ship just off a Stockholm island.

  • A diver drifts above the Thistlegorms bow winch

    Egypt

    SS Thistlegorm

    The wreck of a World War II cargo ship has become an unintentional time capsule at the bottom of the Red Sea.

  • A diver swims along the side of the plane wreck

    Capernwray, England

    Capernwray Dive Centre

    Planes, helicopters, and a shipwreck are underwater in this former limestone quarry.

  • The Art Reef before it was sunk.

    British Virgin Islands

    Kodiak Queen

    Divers can encounter an abandoned warship encircled by a giant kraken submerged in the British Virgin Islands.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.